Armageddon

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Evangelist John of Patmos writes the Book of Revelation. Painting by Hieronymus Bosch (1505).

Armageddon (Late Latin: Armagedōn,^[1] Greek: Αρμαγεδων, Hebrew: הר מגידו) is the site of an epic battle associated with the end time prophecies of the Abrahamic religions.

According to traditional interpretations, the Messiah will return to earth and destroy the Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon. Then Satan will be put into the bottomless pit or abyss for 1,000 years. After being released from the abyss for a short time, he will gather Gog and Magog from the four corners of the earth. They will encamp surrounding the holy ones and the "beloved city". Fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours Gog and Magog, and the Devil who deceived them is thrown into Gehenna (the lake of fire and brimstone) where the beast and the false prophet have been since just before the 1,000 years, as written in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament at Rev. 20:1-3, 7-10; Rev. 19:11-20.

The word Armageddon in scripture is known only from a single verse in the Greek New Testament.^[2] The word comes from Hebrew har megiddōn (הר מגידו), meaning "Mountain of Megiddo". Megiddo was the location of many decisive battles in ancient times (see Battle of Megiddo). The Greek koine dialect has a character that resembles an apostrophe denoting an "H" sound which may have been omitted in the later forms of the word, thus Har-Magidon or 'ar-Magedon may have worn down to Armageddon. The town Megiddo is approximately 25 miles west of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee (or Lake Tiberias to the Romans) in the Kishon River valley.

[edit] Christianity

[edit] Dispensationalism

The Dispensational viewpoint interprets biblical prophecy literally and expects that the fulfillment of prophecy will also be literal, depending upon the context of scripture. In his discussion of Armageddon, J. Dwight Pentecost has devoted an entire chapter to the subject, titled "The Campaign of Armageddon", in which he discusses Armageddon as a campaign and not a specific battle, which will be fought in the Middle East. Pentecost writes:

Present-day highway sign indicating the approach to Megiddo Junction, nearby Har Megiddo

Dr. Pentecost then discusses the location of this campaign, and mentions the "hill of Megiddo" and other geographic locations such as "the valley of Jehoshaphat"^[5] and "the valley of the passengers"^[6], "Lord coming from Edom or Idumea, south of Jerusalem, when He returns from the judgment"; and Jerusalem itself.^[7][8]

Pentecost then continues in his writing to further describe the area involved:

"This wide area would cover the entire land of Palestine and this campaign, with all its parts, would confirm what Ezekiel pictures when he says the invaders will 'cover the land'.^[9] This area would conform to the extent pictured by John in Revelation 14:20."^[10]

In mentioning the "participants in the campaign", Dr. Pentecost lists the following:

1. The ten kingdom federation of nations under the Beast
2. The northern federation consisting of Russia^[11] (see also Gog and Magog) and her allies
3. The kings of the East, the Asiatic peoples from beyond the Euphrates
4. The King of the South, a north African power^[12]

Pentecost then outlines the biblical time period for this campaign to occur and with further arguments concludes that it must take place with the 70th week of Daniel. The invasion of Palestine by the Northern Confederacy "will bring the Beast and his armies to the defense of Israel as her protector". He then uses Daniel to further clarify his thinking: (Dan. 11:40b-45).^[13]

Again, events are listed by Pentecost in his book:

1. "The movement of the campaign begins when the King of the South moves against the Beast-False Prophet coalition, which takes place 'at the time of the end.'"^[14]
2. "The King of the South is joined by the Northern Confederacy, who attacks the Wilful King by a great force over land and sea (11:40). Jerusalem is destroyed as a result of this attack,^[15] and, in turn, the armies of the Northern Confederacy are destroyed"^[16]
3. "The full armies of the Beast move into Palestine (11:41) and shall conquer all that territory (11:41-42). Edom, Moab, and Ammon alone escape. . . ."
4. ". . . a report that causes alarm is brought to the Beast"^[17]
5. "The Beast moves his headquarters into the land of Palestine and assembles his armies there."^[18]
6. "It is there that his destruction will come. (11:45)."^[19]

After the destruction of the Beast at the Second Coming of Jesus, the promised Kingdom is set up, in which Jesus and the Saints will rule for a thousand years. Satan is then loosed "for a season" and goes out to deceive the nations, specifically, Gog and Magog.^[20] The army mentioned attacks the Saints in the New Jerusalem, they are defeated by a judgment of fire coming down from Heaven, and then comes the Great White Throne judgment, which includes all of those through the ages^[21] and these are cast into the Lake of Fire, which event is also known as the "second death", not to be confused with Hell, which is Satan's domain. Pentecost describes this thusly:

The destiny of the lost is a place in the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14-15; 21:8). This lake of fire is described as everlasting fire (Matt. 25:41)^[22] (Matt. 18:8)^[23] and as unquenchable fire (Mark 9:43-44^[24], 46-48,^[25] emphasizing the eternal character of retribution of the lost.^[26]

[edit] Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Armageddon is a battle where Satan unites the kings of the Earth against God's appointed King, Christ. Unlike many Christian groups, Witnesses believe that the 'Antichrist' is not an individual, and that the war is not one of nations fighting against one another.^{[citation needed]}

The Witnesses teach that the Bible uses Megiddo as the "symbolic" place of gathering of all the kings of the Earth, where they will try to do battle against God and his forces, even though Megiddo was an actual location in the past. This action on the part of the kings of the Earth is provoked by expressions and signs inspired by demons,^[27] and is followed by the establishment of God's kingdom over earth for a thousand years.^[28] The final judgment and purification of the Earth's sin occurs at the end of the Millennium. According to The Watchtower magazine, a prelude to Armageddon will be the attack on all religions by the United Nations.^[29][30][31]

[edit] Seventh-day Adventist

Seventh-day Adventist understanding of Revelation 13-22

The teachings of the Seventh-day Adventist Church state that the terms "Armageddon", "Day of the Lord" and "The Second Coming of Christ" all describe the same event.^[32] Seventh-day Adventists further teach that the current religious movements taking place in the world are setting the stage for Armageddon, and they are concerned by the growing unity between spiritualism, American Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. A further significant difference in Seventh-day Adventist theology is the teaching that the events of Armageddon will leave the earth desolate for the duration of the millennium.^[33] They teach that the righteous will be taken to heaven while the rest of humanity will be destroyed, leaving Satan with no one to tempt and effectively "bound."^[34] The final re-creation of a "new heaven and a new earth."^[35] then follows the millennium.

[edit] Islam

The Islamic Prophet Muhammad has prophesied about several events that will occur just before the advent of the Day of Judgment (Qiyamah). A false claimant to divinity (the Dajjal) will attempt to misguide humanity into worshiping him and will perform miracles. The people that doubt their religion will follow him and people that have faith will not. Jesus will descend from the sky, and his followers will bring peace and brotherhood to the world. The religion of God will spread to create a perfect and just society.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Ahmadiyya

In Ahmadiyya Islam the Armageddon is viewed as a spiritual battle or struggle in the present age between the forces of good, i.e. righteousness, purity and virtue; and the forces of evil. The final struggle between the two comes as satanic influence is let loose with the emergence of Gog and Magog and Satan gathers all his powers, utilises all his resources and exhausts all his tricks and the means by which to mislead people. An age where sin, iniquity, promisquity etc. is increased, atheism abounds, and materialism prevails. According to Ahmadi teachings the present age has as a result been a witness to the wrath of God with the occurance of the First and Second World War and the frequency of natural disasters. ^[36]

Ahmadis believe that God appointed Ghulam Ahmad (d.1908) as the promised Messiah and Mahdi, for the spiritual reformation and moral direction of mankind. It is the moral teachings of Islam as elucidated by Ghulam Ahmad in accordance with the present age (the seventh and last of the millennial ages from the time of Biblical Adam) that would eventually protect from and overcome these evils; ultimately establishing the unity and sincere worship of God and an age of peace upon earth. This age Continues for approximately a thousand years as per jeudo-Christian and Islamic prophecies of the Apocalypse; and is characterised by the assembling of mankind under one faith i.e. Islam as per Ahmadiyya belief.^[37]

[edit] Bahá'í Faith

As part of the overall theology of the Bahá'í Faith, Bahá'í literature and research interprets the fulfillment of the expectations surrounding the Battle of Armageddon in three ways, all of which have happened.^[38]

The first interpretation deals with a series of tablets written by Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith, to be sent to various kings and rulers.

The second interpretation relates to the detailed events near the end of World War I involving General Allenby and the Battle of Megiddo (1918) - a kind of literal fulfillment wherein World Powers, drawing in soldiers from many parts of the world, were engaged in battle at Megiddo.^[39]

The third interpretation reviews the whole progress of the World Wars (though these can be viewed as one process in two phases), and their derangement of the means and norms of the world before and after.^[38]

[edit] Literature and film

• Armageddon (1998 film) – NASA sends a team of oil drillers to deflect an asteroid.
• Armageddon (Left Behind)

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Armageddon

Look up Armageddon in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• 1 Maccabees
• 2300 day prophecy
• Abomination of Desolation
• Antichrist
• Antiochus Epiphanes
• Apocalypse
• Book of Daniel
• Bible Prophecy
• Daniel's Vision of Chapter 8
• Daniel Chapter 11
• Day-year principle
• Dispensationalism
• Eschatology
• End times
• Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
• Gog and Magog
• Last Judgment
• Millenialism
• Millenarianism
• Olivet discourse
• Oracle of Damascus
• Premillenialism
• Prewrath
• Post Tribulation
• Progressive dispensationalism
• Prophecy of Seventy Weeks
• Ragnarök
• The Rapture
• Siege of Jerusalem (70)
• Summary of Christian eschatological differences
• The Beast (Bible)
• The Two Witnesses
• Whore of Babylon

[edit] References

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